The present invention relates to an improved system for dispensing and delivering medicaments. In particular, the invention relates to such a system that is friendly, convenient, facilitates orientation of the patient, and serves as a "virtual" companion in the absence of a human caregiver.
The rapidly changing global demographic make-up in regard to population increase of elderly people is putting great strains on the health care system. For example, the increase in elderly population has produced a proportionate increase in the full-time use of certain health care resources, such as hospital beds and nursing home beds. In addition, the need for constant supervision by nurses and other care-takers is increasing.
One way to ease this burden is to allow those in need of care to be more self-reliant. For example, medicament dispensers can be utilized to store and dispense medication to the patient at predetermined times. Many such devices have been proposed in the prior art. In general, these devices have lacked the combination of features to virtually replace the attention of a human caregiver.
When taking dosages of medication, it is extremely important that the dosages be taken on time and in the prescribed amounts. When it is time to take the medication, the user should not be concerned with having water and a cup so that the medicaments can be properly swallowed.